Zombi — Zombi & Friends Vol. 1

Ever widening the scope of their releases, Zombi have kicked open the door to a new wing of their discography: 70's covers. Bringing on some special guests to complete the task, Zombi & Friends released Vol. 1 on Relapse Records to fans who didn't realize how much they needed this album. With ten very tight and very well-done covers, this fun break from Zombi's regularly scheduled programming is a welcome and perfect summertime release. 

Cover songs are tricky, which makes an entire album dedicated to them even trickier. When one is asked their favorite cover song, they'll either pick one that perfectly mimics the original or one that is a total 180. Vol.1 is firmly in the former camp and the covers are amazingly tight. So tight, in fact, that some of the guest vocals sound identical to the original artists ("Takin' It to the Streets" and "America," for example) and the covers would certainly fool casual fans. There are some heavy hitters being paid tribute on this album, including The Doobie Brothers, Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, Lou Rawls, and The Eagles, to name a few. Deftly played and wonderfully arranged, Vol. 1 not only speaks to how talented the musicians are on this record, but it also breathes a new life and appreciation to the songs being played. "Sirius/Eye in the Sky" has rekindled my appreciation for The Alan Parsons Project, and "Captain of Her Heart" has sent me searching through Double's catalog. 

While on the surface this seems like a huge departure from Zombi's traditional approach, after listening to the selections and arrangements, some correlations can be made. On many of Zombi's newer albums, there are far more prog elements on display as well as often hitting close to a Moroder style of disco. With this in mind, one can see why the songs here were chosen - either being lighter, more radio-friendly prog adjacent pieces or having many similarities to slow disco (some tracks would work well on the Too Slow To Disco series). Their myriad influences are clear, and their appreciation for the songs that shaped their lives is alive and well.

Zombi & Friends have a delightful cover song jukebox started with Vol. 1. A selection of well-known 70's hits along with some lesser-known titles, their passion and skill are highly visible for these modern recreations. Enlisting some extra talent to make this a reality, the cover songs on this album make for a very promising start to what hopes to be a long-running series.